Major Movements in Psychology

Jungian Analytical Psychology

What are archetypes?

Archetypes are patterns of experience and behavior that reflect ancient and fundamental ways of dealing with universal life situations. Archetypes reside in the collective unconscious. There is a mother archetype, a child archetype, an archetype of the feminine, of the masculine, and many more. Archetypes can never be directly known in consciousness but can only be glimpsed through the images that float up from our unconscious in dreams, creative works of art, mythology, and even religious symbolism. Through interpretation of this visual symbolism, we gain greater knowledge of our deepest selves.